ARZOL SILVER NITRATE APPLICATORS

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

Hazard statements

Arzol® Silver Nitrate Applicators are a pharmaceutical product that is in solid, final

2.1 Classification of the substance or mixture

Oxidizer, Irritant EMERGENCY OVERVIEW: Silver nitrate/potassium nitrate solid impregnated on tip of wooden applicator is a strong irritant to skin and tissue. Toxic if ingested.

Principle Routes of Exposure

(for product) Skin Acute Effects of Overexposure: Note: Since the product has not been tested as a whole, the health effects below are based on the health effects of individual ingredients which are in significant concentrations in product. When appropriate, health effects of the individual ingredients are given in order to provide adequate warning to persons using the silver nitrate applicators. Silver nitrate applicators, in their final form for use, are not believed to pose high risk to the user, due to the small amount of active ingredients on the tip of the applicator, and the highly remote likelihood of inadvertent or accidental exposures to toxic concentrations. INHALATION: · Inhalation of airborne silver nitrate particles may cause irritation of the respiratory tract and mucous membranes. EYE: · Contact with silver nitrate/potassium nitrate solid impregnated on tip of wooden applicator may cause irritation, the degree of which depends on the concentration and period of contact. Symptoms may include burning, tearing, and redness. SKIN: · Contact with silver nitrate/potassium nitrate solid impregnated on tip of wooden applicator may cause irritation, the degree of which depends on the concentration and period of contact. Symptoms may include redness and burning. INGESTION: · Poisonous. If swallowed, can cause severe gastroenteritis and can be fatal. Due to its corrosive property, large doses of ingested silver nitrate may cause a burning sensation in the throat, violent abdominal pain, vomiting, collapse, and death. Chronic Effects of Overexposure: · It is reported in the literature that chronic introduction of significant amounts of silver compounds into the blood stream and subsequent deposition of the reduced silver in various tissues of the body may result in the production of a generalized permanent grayish pigmentation of the skin and mucous membranes – a condition known as argyria with no constitutional symptoms and no physical disability. · The introduction of fine particles of silver through breaks in the skin produces a local pigmentation at the site of the injury. Localized argyria of the skin is rare. It has been concluded that on the average, 3.8 grams of orally administered silver nitrate causes argyria. · The inhalation of silver powder over long periods has been concluded to cause pulmonary changes. · Chronic exposure to potassium nitrate can cause: --anemia --nephritis --methemoglobinemla CARCINOGENICITY: · No component within this solid product is associated with carcinogenicity by NTP and IARC.